Up next, Haslam and his handpicked CEO, Joe Banner, will turn their attention to finding a new coach and general manager as they attempt to revive a franchise that is about to close out its 11th consecutive season out of the playoffs.

YESS MERRY XMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR
A NEW ERA BROWNS FOOTBALL HAS BEGUN
please stick with Weeden he has at least 3-4 years of NFL service in him so lets make the most of it and please draft some WRs,RBs and DB’s to help the defense and signing some Pass Rush would help too

Bring it on. Clean house and lets get started. The TH lovers, Really? C at best…

jhorton83 says:Dec 29, 2012 8:51 PM

Brandon Weeden just got Jimmy Clausen-ed. New administration will want to bring in their own guy. So much for the 29-year-old “rookie” experiment. Could have had Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins in later rounds. But no, let’s draft the guy who’s almost 30 in the 1st round. Brilliant.

Shocked by this decision..Browns had ups and downs this season, their defense is pretty solid..just need a good offensive coordinator and some good receivers and Browns can be competitive in the future..give Shurmur a chance..at least another year..bad decision!

I hope that this means that the Browns will see a return to a winning style of football. Weeden appears to have the makings of a decent QB – although with his age, his window of development is really small. Whoever the new coach will be (Bruce Arians from Indianapolis might be a great fit), it might not be a bad idea to draft some O-lineman to plow the road for Richardson. Trent looks like he could be the real deal if he could get some blocking. Here’s to many happy days in the Dawg Pound!

Whomever they hire really needs to do a good job. I don’t know if the fans can take more Charlie Frye,Seneca Wallace,Brady Quinn,Derek Anderson, Jake Delhomme, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden drama. And PLEASE get a dependable WR. The best WR Cleveland has had in the last 7 years is stone-hands Edwards, the one year he decided to hold onto the ball. Look at how quickly Cinci’s fortunes turned when they got a dynamic WR. Dalton is okay, but it’s Green that makes all the difference. Without a player of Green’s caliber, Cinci and Dalton would look very much like Cleveland and Weeden.

Shurmer is not ready to be the man but is a great qb coach. Heckert had his grave dug when he mis-managed the draft and missed out on RG3. Stupidity will not be tolerated anymore in C-Town. Haslem wants to win and knows he needs a franchise quarterback to do so. That is why when he first took over he asked if Weeden was the real deal. Yea he has some good moments..but c’mon he is not Luck or Griffen

I would hope every team knows the day before the last game if they are going to keep their coach and/or GM or not.

Sure there is news in this story as to what the decision is. But I don’t want my team evaluating the coach/GM after the last game. This story also implies surprise by the writer “it appears that what that actually means is he has already made his decision ”

I’m thinking bill cowher ad the hc and gm with Bruce Arians as the offensive coordinator. Steelers fans will hate to see bill in the division, but he’s itching to get back and the browns look to be on the up with the other two division powerhouses losing steam and aging fast.

Browns will always suck. Better to be a Jets fan, and that’s saying something.

wardmanone says:Dec 29, 2012 9:25 PM

Tommy Boy:
Get a grip and do yourself a favor Your President undervalued the #2 overall pick and then wanted a do over he .like Redskins got one chance and Browns blew it. mr Holgrem then whined about it to the press in a an attempt to cover his tracks…oh here another news flash the Rams already played the Redskins and RGIII and reminded the chosen one it wasn’t the Big 12. Rams Won. Enough of blaming of others for the futile franchise results. Stick to the facts!

baller2 says:Dec 29, 2012 9:27 PM

Shurmur clearly in over his head, heckert has done a good job and I think is worth keeping. Defensive coaches have done a good job as well as o line coach. I would keep theses pieces in place. I don’t think a complete gut job is necessary but it seems banner has his own agenda here. Not sure about that guy

Weeden is trash and he has the potential to be a steaming pile of trash if he is left as our starting Qb.. Shurmur and his play calling are trash. The only positives we have is heckert, the defense, our o-line Rb and gordon has real potential and little is a good #3 possibly a 2 if he keeps working. We are screwed if they hire lombardi, the guy hasnt ever done anything in the past to warrant this type of power. Theres a reason hes been outta football for the past 5 yrs. Im holding out hope that they realize heckert should stay,otherwise i too may be done.

couldntthinkofaname says:Dec 29, 2012 9:49 PM

ttommytom says: Dec 29, 2012 8:46 PM

They can thank St. Louis.

RG3 and all stay.

What were they thinking in St. Louis by keeping RG3 in the NFC? I know, they were all buddies and left the Browns at the alter.

I can’t wait for Washington to run over the Rams.

___________________

Hey, genius? They already played this season. St. Louis won.

WA had the balls and simply offered St. Louis a better deal. Your team couldn’t pony up two first round 2012 picks and a 2013 pick and pussed out.

It had nothing to do with Shanahan and Fisher being buddies–that was Holmgren’s whining and excuse making (it’s how Cleveland rolls). Besides, Holmgren supposedly never wanted RG to begin with.

Browns left at the altar. LOL Whatever, Cleveland crybaby…..

The Factory of Suck and Self Pity continues! Hey, good luck with Thad Lewis tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll do QUITE well against Pittsburgh’s defense!

Cleveland: giving me a reason to root for Cincy, Pitt, and Balt two times a year!

Hey Browns fans Tom got good players for this team but passed up on Julio Jones an JJ Watt an look what there doing for their teams please open your eyes in all honestly he hasnt done good enough this is one Browns fan to another.

I cant beleive some of the posts about Weeden. Considering its the Browns, & I truly dont mean to insult, but come on, they have been awful for a long time. But Weeden and Richardson did a decent job this season, and Weeden probably has 6-7 seasons or possibly more left, not 3 or 4 like some think. Shurmur is a decent man, but not a great coach, so I understand that move. But I think they should really consider working with the young talent they have presently….

Isn’t anyone going to mention Holmgren? Wasn’t HE the guy who was going to turn things around? He is smart because he skipped town early and you all jump on the guys HE left behind….GENIOUS!!!…thanks to idiots who jump on the latest bandwagon.

nomoreseasontix says:Dec 29, 2012 10:12 PM

I can totally see a new owner cleaning out the house.
But, it’s what he fills it back up with that will matter.
Mass firings will only work if they can find an upgrade willing to go to Cleveland.
A young guy looking for a chance might be their best bet.
It’s not exactly a coveted job…

Kinda like here in Oakland with my Raiders.

valcomm5 says:Dec 29, 2012 10:20 PM

I Blame Hekert and Holmgren. Not Shurmer. Dude can only work with what he is given. Give Shurmer a good draft! He will make it work. They were better this year than in the past several.

Schurmur going is understandable to a point, yet viewed in the perspective of Noll’s first 3 seasons with the Stillers (and what followed), one has to wonder. I am not, and have not been impressed with Schurmur, nor with Col.Klink running the offense, but the young talent has promise, so I am NOT on board with tossing Heckert overboard. The ONLY way ditching Heckert makes any sense is if the new HC will be the GM as well, and I have a problem with this approach.

Blaming Heckert for the RG3 deal? That decision was Holmgren’s, and I don’t really think the asking price was worth it – RG3’s play style may give him a similar career expectancy as Weeded although for a different reason (injury vs age for those of you needing the clarification). I don’t know of a GM out there that hits at 100%, and, sadly, a hit rate exceeding 100% would still iritate some Browns fans. I have preached patience with this team for so long, I am sick of saying it, but we’ve not been a patient bunch since the drive.

I have no favorites that think can be our “salvation”, but Lombardi excites me as a GM less than Schurmur as HC. Regardless of Banner’s opinions, Haslam has to known what kind of response would come from the knowledgeable part of the Browns fan base (and I hate to admit that the knowledgeable part is in the minority).

Haslam owns the team and will do what he will. I just hope & pray for the best. Happy New Year!

Say Hi to Childress. Vikings fans and organization will be laughing… As well as the rest of the nfl. 11 consecutive seasons will quickly turn into 12.

valcomm5 says:Dec 29, 2012 10:28 PM

The Rams were pretty good with Shurmer, 7-9. Look at the record when he left. 2-14. Cant surround yourself with bad company. Browns are looking better. need more offensive players though. Defense is good. I’m a Rams fan, But i’d love to see them sweep the Steelers!!!

Butch Davis is here…we’re gonna win now. Romeo Crennel is here with his New England pedigree, were gonna win now…mike holmgren is here, now were gonna win. Cleveland your football team is like your town…it stinks. Btw all this talk about C-town? Are you kidding.

come on NFL fans, lets get real..everybody knows that no matter who they hire and bring in, they will fail..its the browns..they for some reason keep making lame decisions..seneca wallace, jake delhome, colt mccoy, tim couch, branden fricken weeden…when is the last time this franchise made a good QB decision, or hired a good HC and kept him around for longer then 2 seasons

It’s beyond me how some fans can condone incompetence and say the Browns should give Shurmur another year. He’s proven nothing in the NFL except that he is incompetent. The only reason he got the job was because he’s Fritz Shurmurs nephew and the Browns will not grow under him.

Good bye and good riddance to Holmgren (great coach-lousy GM).but I’ll be sad to see Heckert leave, he did add a lot of talent thru the draft.

And I just want to say the only Lombardi that could possibly help the Browns is Vince and he’s dead! So we better buckle up and pray, 2013 could be more of the same.

Hire 49ers OC and John Carroll Grad Greg Roman, sign Alex Smith to play QB, draft Manti Teo with 1st round pick and keep Dick Jauron as DC and this is a playoff team next year just like the 49ers in Harbaugh’s first season

Bengals fan here, I say this with zero malice, I hope that Cleveland can compete in the short future. I say this because I know what it is to suffer following a losing franchise. But, the one thing I can offer is this, when/if the Browns start winning…the drought will make the winning all the more sweeter, trust me on this..or don’t, whatever…i’m not a cop..

clw1906 says:Dec 29, 2012 11:32 PM

wardmanone says:
Dec 29, 2012 9:25 PM
Tommy Boy:
Get a grip and do yourself a favor Your President undervalued the #2 overall pick and then wanted a do over he .like Redskins got one chance and Browns blew it. mr Holgrem then whined about it to the press in a an attempt to cover his tracks…oh here another news flash the Rams already played the Redskins and RGIII and reminded the chosen one it wasn’t the Big 12. Rams Won. Enough of blaming of others for the futile franchise results. Stick to the facts!

Wait this I miss something are the Rams fighting for the division crown or even in the playoff talk? Your points were valid until you tried to dog the Redskins. Lol Lams fans talking about a game during the season. Lol enjoy watching “the chosen” one in the playoffs.

I think Heckert has done an ok job…maybe hire Jay Gruden or the OC from Denver..but Cleveland is collecting some ok players…

charman11 says:Dec 29, 2012 11:41 PM

To all you Browns fans who say you will leave the Brwons if they fire Heckert.. see ya. He passed on so much talent I couldn’t believe it. J Jones did it for me, I was done with Heckert right then and there. I feel the same about Shurmur good-bye see ya. He just doesn’t have a clue out there.
Now who will we get that will be interesting to find out but I am excited to see and am looking forward to a new era to begin. Go Browns!!

I have a question. If Lombardi takes the job and fails, will his NFL Network buddies start questioning his credibility when on the show. I mean how could he realistically go back to that job with a straight face after failing as a GM twice?

It’s been so long that Cleveland has been good. They can’t give these people one more year and hope for improvement. They need to get the absolute best coaches they can because this losing streak has gone on all too long now. No more first year coaches! Get someone that has been successful as an NFL head coach like Brian Billick!

thefiesty1 says:Dec 30, 2012 12:05 AM

It doesn’t matter, it’s the Browns.

thegloriousone says:Dec 30, 2012 12:08 AM

The Browns had / have far too many holes to give away a bunch of ones and twos for Robert Griffin. If he had landed in Cleveland, he would have had a crappy 5 year career with no talent around him.

Fire Shurmur. Keep Heckert.

doe22us says:Dec 30, 2012 12:13 AM

I guess they are going out lossers considering what the Steelers will do to them tommorow with the Brownies starting their third string QB.

jessthegreat:
Your assertion that Bill Cowher is “itching to get back” into coaching is based on exactly what? Please enlighten us…
Coaching in Cleveland is career sucide. Never in the history of the Browns has a coach ever retired on his own-free-will.
It’s pretty sad when the Browns’ best coach of the past 25 years was Butch Davis…
Cowher has zero interest in leaving the warmth of the studio to coach any team. Can’t say as I blame him.

clebrowntown says:Dec 30, 2012 6:19 AM

Having watched all the Browns games under the Shroomer regime I can honestly say I believe he and his offensive coaches play calling has been THE issue for the Browns. Whipple/Childress/Shroomer are the 3 Stooges of offensive coaching.
What’s been going in Weeden’s ear during games has been ridiculous.
Heckert had a lot of holes to fill on the roster and he has found quite a few decent players but the bottom line is he hasn’t found enough.

As for the RG3 fiasco…it did not make any sense to have RG3 go to CLE because it’s a small market and the NFL wanted him in a major market. Yes, I’m thinking the deal was guided by them or possibly just the friendship oh Shanny and the Rams heads. It had to be because the Browns actually did make a better offer than the Skins.

Time for change…again, here in CLE.
NEXT!

macbull says:Dec 30, 2012 6:44 AM

From the day it was announced that Haslam bought the team and hired Banner, I knew this day was coming.

The coaches and players knew it too…the team has been playing under this cloud since Haslam took over.

When Banner, who has never been in charge of the football side of any franchise, took over for Holmgren…you figured the rookie owner and rookie Pres (in charge of all football operations), would screw up the rebuilding project that was just 60% complete.

If the 5 yr rebuilding plan continued, Holmgren and Heckert would get most of the credit…not Banner and Haslam…this is about EGOES !

Sadly, the Browns are nothing more than “a toy” that Billionaires play with.

Haslam railed on Al and Randy Lerner for making changes as often as they did…then what is the first thing Haslam does..STARTS MAKING CHANGES.

…fired Holmgren handing the team over to a man who has never been in charge of the football side of any team.

Most big name head coaching prospects will not work under Banner, so this idea that Nick Saban is coming to Cleveland and reporting to Banner is nothing but a dream.

TheWizard says:Dec 30, 2012 6:52 AM

Considering the carousel hasn’t worked out, I would like to see this team hire somebody and stick with them for 5 years. Try consistency.

How many Coaches and QBs have they had in the past 6 years? Jeez,talk about a revolving door. I feel bad for the Browns fans and some of their veteran and young players in their 3rd season..Going thru different OCs and DCs could be a tough task..I hear u Josh Cribbs “I hate that we keep rebuilding every year”

The reason he made the decison so quickly was because Nick Saban said he wanted the job. Now, I know all the Tide fans will come out of the wood work and say that he already said he staying and he isn’t going anywhere. We heard the same speech at LSU and he gave the message right before he bolted for Bama. The only problem I have with him doing this way is I think Bama’s QB decided to come back thinking the coach Saban would be there and they could three peat. So, I feel bad for him. But, you can mark it down Saban is going to coach the Browns and either way it goes after he’s done there he will retire. His mountain size ego won’t allow him not to give the NFL another try, especially sense PC and JH are having the kind of success they’re having. My bet is right after the Championship game he tells everyone he’s going.

i have no horse in the race persay in regards to what happens to Cleveland. That said…I’m kind of surprised they’re blowing it up yet again.

They just started putting the pieces in place and they have a lot to work with. Kind of sad actually…I think blowing it up is the new owner’s first of likely many, mistakes. And so…the fans will have to wait another five to ten years.

Heckert should stay. Whenever he made a decision that was questionable (Weeden, McCoy), it was always because Holmgren overruled him and made the decision instead. Other than that, he’s brought some good young talent to a team that’s starved for it. Shurmer needs to leave, but man, Heckert will get a job so quickly if he’s let go.